Some optimists suggest that New York’s flower market still has room for growth—should wholesalers decide to leave West 28th Street behind. Gary Page and Casper Trap have struggled for decades to mobilize local shop owners to move to prospective 150,000-square-foot warehouses in Long Island City, Queens, to Manhattan’s Upper East Side or far West Side. All plans have fallen through, reflecting a lack of consensus among shop owners.
“Personally, I knew the market was never going to move,” Nikolas says. “I have an image of my uncle standing out on the corner in 1952, talking about the market moving because of too much traffic. And when my father was down here in the ‘30s and ‘40s, the joke had always been: ‘Don’t hang your jacket up, the market is moving.’”
He says the current location still has its advantages, noting that the district has become a tourist attraction. Wholesalers, however, say selfie-taking pedestrians disrupt the flow of business. “It becomes like a museum,” Trap says. “They take our attention away from regular customers.”
Sam Rosenberg says he’ll never leave Chelsea. “I’ve been here since I was in diapers,” he says, arranging a bouquet of white roses and baby’s breath for a longtime customer. “Now, I’m the oldest person in this market. We’re not leaving, we’re keeping it in the family.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.